FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT VERDUGO MOUNTAINS

BURBANK — The Burbank city seal is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, prompting some to call for a change to the official insignia, which bears the likeness of two industries that helped define the area, one of which no longer plays a pivotal role. Found on official city documents, the city’s website and other places, the current hexagonal seal, enacted in 1978, features three iconic testaments to Burbank’s professional environment: a commercial plane, City Hall and a movie reel with a Klieg light.

The family of an FBI agent who disappeared from his Burbank home more than a month ago made an emotional plea on Wednesday for the public's help in preventing the case from going cold. It was the second time the family of Special Agent Stephen Ivens appealed for help in tracking down Ivens' whereabouts since he went missing May 11, seemingly vanishing despite a massive manhunt by foot and air in the days after his disappearance. The active, on-the-ground searches have long been called off, and authorities say few, if any, leads have come in. The family has since launched its own search effort, aided in large part by social media websites and campaigns.

Mark R. Madler The City Council this week reappointed incumbent members of the BurbankGlendale-Pasadena Airport Authority and city Planning Board while greeting new faces for other commissions and committees. All told, the council Tuesday night made appointments to 12 citizen-advisory bodies. The boards give input to the City Council and department heads on policy, while others, like the Civic Pride Committee, organize events to boost interest in Burbank's image.

Mark R. Madler As the morning clouds broke, hikers from the Sierra Club made their way up the fire road into the Verdugo Mountains, shouldering backpacks and taking in the view. Joining club members Sunday was state Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer, who was making his first visit into the Verdugos. "I'm sort of a High Sierra granite hiker, but this is lovely and wonderful," Lockyer said as he stood in the mountains, enjoying the vista of Burbank and the San Gabriel Mountains.

Every summer the hills that surround Burbank come alive with the sound of music. Nestled in the Hollywood Hills to the south sits one of the most iconic amphitheaters in the world, while to the east, the Verdugo Mountains provide a hillside home for Burbank?s own outdoor music venue. Whether at the Hollywood Bowl or the Starlight Bowl, most Burbankers harbor fond memories of family picnicking, a romantic sharing of a bottle of wine, or an evening of rocking out with friends at one of those melodious mountain bowls.

There is little effort being made to mitigate the negative impacts of the proposed new IKEA at 805 S. San Fernando Blvd. between Alameda and Verdugo . There are benefits to IKEA expanding in Burbank: jobs, sales tax revenue, recycling underutilized real estate to more productive uses, and proximate shopping for Burbank and other nearby residents. Unfortunately, these positives do not offset the negative impacts and the importance of mitigating them. We must insist, encourage and help IKEA be a good neighbor.

After seven years working its way in various forms through Congress, Rep. Adam Schiff’s Rim of the Valley Corridor Study, which could pave the way toward more than doubling the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, is finally on its way to the president’s desk. The bill is included in the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, which the House of Representatives passed on Tuesday. The Rim of the Valley study passed the House in December, but it had to be reconciled with Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s sister legislation in the Senate.

The good news first: Last week I had the great fortune to be offered a reporting gig here at the Times Community News chain. As you read this, I'll be breaking in a new beat at the Foothill Boulevard offices of the Leader's sister paper, the La Cañada Valley Sun. Now, the bad news: Perhaps for good, or maybe only for a while, this means an end to my column here. In addition to myriad La Cañada Flintridge issues, I'll also be covering issues of regional importance. To not blur the lines of reporter and opinion writer, I'm going to have to step back for now and see how things play out. Learning so much about Burbank and its residents has been a gift, and being able to throw my 2-cents-worth into city affairs has been a unique privilege.